Fingers on your buzzers!

So voting is now open for the Scrap Bag Challenge!

You can hop over to Sarah at Pings and Needles now and nominate your choice, if you have managed to decided from all the wondrous makings!

I'm super excited to see who wins, its been so great taking part. A huge thanks to Sarah for organising the challenge!


I also wanted to take a moment to give a huge thank you to all the lovely people who comment on or read my blog, I'm still stupefied that anyone would be interested in my ramblings! I read each and every one of your comments and try to reply to as many as possible when little miss patch gives me time! I find it incredibly motivating to receive your comments, I certainly wouldn't be sewing at the level I am today without all your encouragement so merci buckets! ;-)
Ive been having a super social day today catching up with a lovely friend from University. We took my girls to a pottery painting studio and they loved it! So did we, must not leave it so long next time!

I finished up my impromptu Christmas cushion the other day, having a practice run at an invisible zip for my Brit quilt pillow swap. Not bad but will hopefully be better for the main run!

Ahoy, its that ships wheel again!!!

I love the way that because I have literally stuffed an 18" feather pillow form into a 15.5" pillow its made my stippling show up rather interestingly. I'm really liking the little 'puffs' in the 'pockets' of the stippling (is anyone making sense of this!)

And the super bonus to fiddling with nasty zips, I get a back I can use as a front. So in fact my Christmas cushion can be used all year! My mother-in-law gave me this fabric years ago, loads of it. At the time I hated it to be honest! Now though, I cannot get enough of it and sadly I only have a tiny piece left. Funny how we change like that!

(p.s I apologise for the liberal swinging from using pillow to cushion in this post, can you tell im a tad confused, or Americanised!)

My two lots of 15 minutes of fame!

OK so I know that's technically 30 minutes but I'm so excited by the recent happenings that I just have to give them the 'standing on their own two feet' allotment of 15 minutes each!

Firstly today I've been featured over at Pings and Needles for the final installment of the Scrap Bag Challenge! Remember my Tutorial?

It was my entry to the challenge. All winners of stage 1 were sent a scrap bag of Japanese fabric from the Eternal Maker with which to create their entry. I made a laminated lunch bag for my smallest girl who is off to pre-school soon. I wanted her to have something special and mummy-made to take with her that was also sturdy and clean-able!

Well from tomorrow you can vote for your winner (me if you like!) The winner of the challenge will win a membership to the Eternal Makers Scrap Club, how cool is that!

I'll let you know tomorrow when voting opens and give you directions to vote for me get over there :-)

So that's my first 15 minutes, the second fleeting glimpse of fame came last Thursday, I so totally forgot to put this in my mammoth newsathon post on the Friday. I cant think why, it really should have made the headlines!

Anyhooo, on Thursday a local press photographer came over to take pictures of me sewing, in my studio! I know! I'm expecting the local paper to run a small piece on me and the Handmade Christmas Market I have organised in our local town. I'm not sure when it will be but hopefully I'll be able to share it with you soon. Don't worry I wont let it go to my head, of course I will expect you to address me in a formal manner now that I am famous hahar!

So all in all, its been more excitement in the world of Strawberry Patch. Today I managed a little bit of sewing, I whipped up a quick pencil wallet for Eloise to take to a birthday party on Thursday. I didn't want to pay for the pattern (why, when I could buy a present for about the same?) so I made it up as I went along! Very pleased I am too. It turned out rather well (see the fame isn't going to my head at all!) which was such a relief because I didn't have more of the requested fabric to do it again.

Well that's my 30 minutes well and truly used up, good luck to all the other entries in the challenge, their are some amazing makes!

My first giveaway, first tutorial and first anniversary!!!! Whoooo

Woweee, so much going on today!

I've just posted my first tutorial for the laminated lunch bag I made for the Japanese Scrap Challenge, I hope it inspires at least one person to make one, it will have made all that typing and editing worthwhile! You can find the tutorial here.

I also have my very first giveaway to celebrate that exactly 1 year ago today I took Strawberry Patch out to its very first craft fair! I cant believe how much has changed in a year - my sewing skills, my confidence, my profits. Ive started a blog, started giving workshops and generally been having an amazing year!

Huge thanks to all my friends and family that have supported and encouraged me along the way, as way of thanks I am running a giveaway for my followers. How would you like to get your hands on 3 fat quarters of Swoon by Melissa Averinos for Andover Fabrics? I have been using this line in the Across the Sea QAL and I love it.

To enter here is what you need to do:

1. Be a follower and leave me a comment saying you are.

2. Head over to my facebook page here and 'like' Strawberry Patch and tell me you have done so in another comment for an extra entry

3. For a billy bonus third entry leave another comment recommending a blog to me that you love, any subject matter!

4. Join in our Modern Christmas Fabric Charm Swap - sorry, only kidding!! But seriously if you want to join us in some swapsies fun and get some fab festive fabric to boot just head over here.

edited to add - you can indeedy have a 4th entry, just blog about this giveaway and leave me the link in a seperate comment!

So that's a whopping 3  4 entry's (if you can be bothered!) and I will close the giveaway on Friday 30th September at 12 midday GMT when the lucky winner will be picked by Mr Random Number Generator. Please make sure you are not a no-reply blogger or leave your email in your comment. If I am unable to contact you within 48 hours I will redraw.

If you fancy yourself lucky, why not head over to Life's Rich Pattern where there is another great giveaway running for  the new fabric line Moroccan Mirage by Kristian A Howell. Check it out here.

The Lunch Bag Tutorial

Taaaaaa DAAAAAAHhhhh!
My very first tutorial! I hope you all like it, can follow it and if you decide to make it, end up with something vaguely resembling mine!

Lets start with the list of cutting requirements:

• 40 x 2" squares (I used my Japanese Scraps I won in the Japanese Scrap Bag Challenge over at Pings and Needles)
• Contrasting Fabric (I used a cream cotton calico) 8" x 12.5"
• 2 pieces of the contrasting fabric 9" x 6.5"
• 2 pieces of Laminated Cotton 9"x6.5"
• Laminated Cotton 8" x 24.5
• 2 pieces of 1" Cotton Webbing 15" long
• 1 magnetic snap
• 1 meter or Vilene Lamifix Fusible Gloss (optional)

You really can use whatever material you like for this cute little bag, Ive gone for lamifix over my quilting cotton as it will be wipeable and that's only a good thing when you have a toddler! I would suggest if you do not lamifix yours or use laminated cotton you will need a medium to heavy weight interfacing to give the bag some strength and allow it to hold its shape - you wont want it collapsing around your sandwiches!

First cut your 40 squares and arrange them in 2 panels, 5 wide by 4 down, making sure you have an even distribution of colour and print.

 

Then join the squares together using a 1/4" seam allowance, this is very important or your seams will not line up. I took a picture of my panel layout to refer to as its easy to get lost when sewing! I also chain pieced mine which saves so much time and thread, there is a good tutorial here.

Then you need to pop your rows over to the iron and make sure you iron your seams in alternate directions as shown here. This will help them to lay flat and prevent bulk.

Then we are going to join all the rows together to form our panel.

Once this is done, press the seams OPEN, you should have a block that measures 8" x 6.5". Repeat the above steps for the other block.

Take your 8" x 12.5" contrasting fabric and join it to you 2 panels, again using a 1/4" seam allowance. I sewed with the panels on top so I could make sure the seams were lying flat as I went.

Now press these seams open and this is what you should have

The next step is optional, you do not have to do this, it will make your bag wipeable and waterproof but you CAN NOT WASH IT once laminated. I choose an easy to care for wipeable finish for my 2 year old's lunch bag over washing.

Take your sheet of Lamifix and lay it GLOSSY side up over your work

Pop your iron onto the two dot setting (wool) and

gently smooth over the lamifix, holding the iron still in each spot for a few seconds to ensure it is properly bonded. You can pop your iron up to the 3 dot setting to get a really good fix but make sure you put a cloth over the lamifix or it will melt!

Can you see the lovely shininess on this baby? Its magic!

I also laminated the cotton calico side pieces so the exterior of the bag was totally protected from grub and grime.

Then take one side piece and attach it to the main panel of the bag right sides together, with the long sides together. Sew using a 1/2" seam allowance, I'm showing you this with my lining pieces because the contrast is better and its clearer to see (naw you don't believe me, OK its really because I forgot to take pictures of the outer!)

Make sure you leave a 1/2" unstitched at the bottom of the side piece so that we can sew the seam along there later.

Now sew the other side piece onto the other side like this. Again make sure you leave a 1/2" unstitched at the bottom of the side piece so that we can sew the seam along there later.

Now comes some fiddly bits! Bring up the other side of the centre piece and sew it to the other side of the side piece, making sure you leave that 1/2" at the bottom of the side unstitched.

Once you have all 4 of the side seams stitched its onto the2 bottom seams. Open your bag out and flatten it so you have your side piece facing you, find the end of your side seam and put your needles in here, sewing along the bottom and stopping at the end of the other side seam (just visible in this photo)

Repeat with the other side.

Then turn your bag around so the front (or back, just not the sides!) is facing you and flatten it again. Sew alonf the bottom again from the bottom of one side seam to the other. Repeat with the back (or front depending on how you see it)

When you are done you should have a nice little boxy number like this, keep it inside out and then repeat the above steps with the lining pieces. Make sure you leave a good 6" opening on one of the sides when sewing the lining, you'll need this to turn the bacg out later on. If you are not using lamifix or laminated cotton you can make this smaller as it will be easier to get through.

Cut your straps, two at aproximatly 15". I stamped mine with my little girls name using a versa inkpad, which you can set with the iron.

At this stage you want to put your magnetic snap onto the lining.

Slip your lining inside the outer,  then pin it into place, sandwiching your straps as you go. You'll want them about 2" in from the sides and make sure they hang down inside the bag so they're in the right place when you turn it out!

Stitch around the top of the bag with a 1/2" seam allowance, I went over the straps a few times to give added strength.

When done, turn the bag out through the opening in the lining and stitch the opening closed.

Then stand back and admire your amazingness! Then quickly fill it with sandwiches and cakes and skip off for a picnic in the park!

You'll have to excuse the creasing here, learn a lesson from me - you cannot sucessfully turn a bag the right way out made from thick calico covered in lamifix and hope to ever iron the creases out you have hence caused!!!!

But I dont care, its still darn cute!

Love this lining, reminds me of old fashioned picnic baskets and red riding hood all in one :) I do hope Juliette is happy trotting off to pre-school with her mummy made yummy's bag!

 Erm.....hello?.... anyone still there or did you all fall asleep when I started bleating on about cutting requirements?

 ;-)

A Giveaway and a tutorial in the making!

Well, this time last year I was sewing and crafting like a manic getting ready for my first ever Craft Fair! To celebrate Strawberry Patch's first foray into the crafty business world I am going to hold a giveaway on the 26th September (next Monday) so check back here for details then!

Ive also been busy working on my entry to the Pings & Needles scrap bag challenge and its finished! I have been writing my first ever tutorial for it too so I will reveal all next week.

For now I'll leave you with a 'lovely' photo of me looking very geeky and trying my hardest to hide my nerves at my first craft fair! Oh how things have changed in a year (and my hairs grown rather long too!)

Ullacombe Farm, Dartmoor, Devon - 26th Septmeber 2010

Another Rug!

Oooo I love mug rugs! They are so scrummy, quick and easy and instant gratification for the quilting soul :)

Here is my mug rug for partner 2, I love it so much I may shed a tear or two at the post office next week!

I am head over heals with the kitchen print panel in the middle, I also cant stop stroking its 'puffyness' where I left it unquilted.

I decided a pieced back would be the perfect way to use up the leftovers and also pop in one of my new labels. It comes from Spoonflower where you can have your own custom design printed onto quilting cotton! Its a little hard to see in the picture but it reads 'a,b,c,d,e,f,g this quilt belongs to me' then my business name 'Strawberry Patch' and on the right hand side 'Made by Emily Levey South Devon UK 2011'

I also ran up a couple of fat quarter bags for partner 2's goodie, aren't they cute! I cant decide which to send to her, I know she likes them but she didn't say which was her favourite! I think I'm plumping for the dumpy birds on the left. I'm going to pop in a little felt brooch too as I know she loves them, but I wont show you a picture or it will spoilt the surprise!

Today I have also been working on my Lunch Bag for the Japanese Scrap Challenge. I have pieced the patchwork panels and cut the other pieces for the main body of the bag, now I am just waiting on the iron on vinyl to arrive in the post. I have been taking lots of pictures along the way and hope to share my first tutorial with you soon!

That's all for now, happy sewing! (oh I forgot to mention I started another quilt - a baby Maisie one this time, I just cant help myself, I think I may need professional help soon!!!!)